Sunday, January 24, 2016

FOCUS: It was on 15 March 1975 that the World Cup hockey final was played in Kuala Lumpur between India and Pakistan. Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, prime minister of Malaysia back then, was the guest-of-honour. It was a titanic clash between the two arch rivals and India emerged the winners.

But it was during the prize-winning ceremony that it dawned on me some revelations about Razak. He was led to the winning rostrum. But, in a gruff manner, he just handed the trophy to Ajitpal Singh, captain of the Indian team, and walked away with a disgusted huff towards the Pakistan team.

In the Pakistan camp, he gave them their runners-up award and shook hands with each and every player and official and exchanged pleasantries with them.

The Indian team was made up of Hindus, Muslims and Christians. But the Pakistani team were all Muslim. As a fourteen-year--old schoolboy watching the unfolding drama on the field from the grandstands, it dawned on me that Razak was not a sportsman. He was biased and prejudiced and it was obviously evident.

This is why, recently, on commemoration of the 40th anniversary of his death, it comes as shocking the sign of support for him from Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Rafidah Aziz and of course, his son Najib, but please do not believe the accolades they shower on him.

Razak was a Malay chauvinist who only had eyes for his own race.

With the ouster of Tunku Abdul Rahman, following the 13 May 1969 race riots, Razak and Umno deposed the Tunku and he became prime minister only to swiftly and hastily implement the ill-conceived New Economic Policy (NEP) which reeked of racism and a form of apartheid.

This was actually the beginning of how Malaysia slowly and steadily, over the years, started to shy away from the pure democracy of the Tunku. The Tunku was appalled and shocked by the NEP's implementation and he protested that it was a denial of the equal rights of the minority races, the Chinese and the Indians.

Tunku Abdul Rahman

Razak ushered in the era where democracy was severely compromised and there was no more fair play, justice and meritocracy. Neither was any of the tenets and obligations of democracy adhered to by him.

And instead of swinging with the great Western democracies, he established ties with the communist regimes of China and Russia.

During his tenure as prime minister, he began the slant towards Malaysia becoming a police state and he governed with an iron fist in a velvet glove.

Razak's period of governance was marked by a heavy oppression of the people and the evil NEP served no purpose as after the 30-year period it ran, it brought prosperity only to a fraction of Bumiputeras.

Razak was also guilty of fabricating and coining the previously non-existent term of “Bumiputera” or indigenous people. But the NEP was only responsible for creating a wedge between the Malays and the other races and for establishing a governing elite in this country who now holds sway over the majority of the people in this country.

However, Razak's tenure as prime minister was quite short. He passed on in 1976 from leukemia.

This country now badly needs leaders, regardless of race of religion, who will sacrifice and serve the people and bring glory and honour to this nation. Leaders who will turn this nation around and realize its potential as a Great Nation. Not biased or prejudiced leaders with foggy ideas and chronically ill thinking ways that leads us to regress and brings us backwards to the Dark Ages.

Tun Abdul Razak was also responsible for the May 14 race riots. Harun who was an MB could never on his own steam, manage such a widespread terror, he needs support from very powerful and capable people in power, Was Tun Abdul Razak earlier death a consequence of his actions?